Freeport Fire Chief Scott Miller ready for retirement

Thursday

Dec 7, 2017 at 5:40 PMDec 7, 2017 at 11:44 PM

FREEPORT — If you need to find Freeport Fire Chief Scott Miller after Friday, he'll probably be on a boat somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean.

After more than 38 years in the fire service, and four in Freeport, Miller is retiring and heading to Florida. He hopes to become an offshore charter captain, taking people out on the ocean to catch large fish such as tuna and marlin.

"I do want to pursue my captain's license and I’ve been looking for a substantial boat for about six months now," he said. "As I get closer to retirement, I get more and more serious about it. I’m looking for something that’s going to fit into that plan of taking people for charters and making a few dollars off of it."

Miller, 59, began his career as a volunteer firefighter in Lake Zurich in 1979. He worked there as a paid on-call firefighter until 1986 when he took a test to become full time and got a job in Elk Grove Village. He retired as deputy chief in Elk Grove shortly before taking over as Freeport's chief in December 2013.

"I was like any other kid who liked the shiny red trucks and I think I was 4 years old and thought I wanted to be a firefighter," Miller said. "I never grew out of that."

When Miller came to Freeport, he brought an air of professionalism with him, said Battalion Chief Robin Gorsline.

"He’s very even-keeled, very willing to listen, always supportive of the fire service and ultimately public safety for the city of Freeport and its citizens," Gorsline said. "When he gets to a scene he doesn't get too wound up and with all the daily stuff through the positives and the negatives, he stays pretty centered."

What Miller will miss most is the relationships that are built within the fire station.

"Camaraderie is huge," he said. "It’s a big family whether it’s here or another department. I think the staff here accepted me quite well.

"Not only that, but emergency responses as well. Yeah, you're meeting someone on their worst day, but that in and of itself is especially rewarding when it has a positive outcome."

New Chief Todd Allen has been working with Miller for about five weeks during the transition period. Allen said having Miller around to help has significantly shortened his adjustment period.

"I feel like I’ve made a friend," Allen said. "I feel like I’ve made a friend that I will be able to kick ideas off of or just go down to Florida and visit him when he’s down there."

The holidays should keep Miller occupied for the rest of the month, with family and friends visiting him in Florida. There's some work he'll want to do on his property after that, but when that's over, he'll find himself in a strange predicament.

"One of the things that is rather challenging for me to get used to is I’ve essentially been working pretty steadily since I was 15," he said. "So I’ve worked all these years in various jobs and Friday I’m going to be unemployed at 5 o’clock."

When he walks out the door for the final time as chief, he'll be thinking of all the positive experiences from his career.

"It's been a good ride," he said. "I had a good time, accomplished a lot and made some lifelong friends."